Fixing Broken Hearts, Sleep Earlier, Reproductive Rights (Need our Help)
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A Good Day To Advocate for Better Healthcare
If there are subjects you’d like to see or improvements made, please let me know using the comment button below. I received a note from a professor friend of mine this morning, Angela, who asked that we cover insurance denials. I will begin working on that shortly.
Videos of these newsletters appear on Youtube on this channel. They are on hold until early June.
How To Fix A Broken Heart
Scientists have discovered a way to regenerate damaged heart muscle cells in mice, a development which may provide a new avenue for treating congenital heart defects in children and heart attack damage in adults, according to a new study. (Science Daily). By the way, 23% of all infant deaths in the first week of life are due to improperly formed hearts and this research will hopefully address that problem.
Cardiomyocytes, the cells responsible for contracting the heart muscle, can regenerate in newborn mammals, but lose this ability with age. In the current study, researchers sought to understand if adult mammalian cardiomyocytes could revert to that regenerative fetal state.
Because fetal cardiomyocytes survive on glucose, instead of generating cellular energy through their mitochondria, researchers deleted the mitochondria-associated gene UQCRFS1 in the hearts of adult mice, forcing them to return to a fetal-like state.
In adult mice with damaged heart tissue, investigators observed that the heart cells began regenerating once UQCRFS1 was inhibited. The cells also began to take in more glucose, similar to how fetal heart cells function, according to the study.
The findings suggest that causing increased glucose utilization can also restore cell division and growth in adult heart cells and may provide a new direction for treating damaged heart cells. Now on to finding medicines that can get the cardiomyocytes to survive on glucose and regenerate.
Go To Bed Earlier - It’s Good For You
A new study from Imperial College London sheds light on the surprising connection between bedtimes and mental health, and the findings might just make you rethink your sleep schedule.
Researchers analyzed data from nearly 74,000 adults in the United Kingdom. The study found that people who go to bed after 1 a.m. are more likely to experience mental health issues, such as depression and anxiety, regardless of whether they consider themselves morning larks or night owls. The group with the fewest mental health diagnoses were early risers who went to bed by 1 a.m., while night owls who stayed up past 1 a.m. experienced the least favorable mental health outcomes.
So, what's behind this link? Experts suggest that a combination of factors may be at play. These include the brain functioning differently late at night and the crucial role of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, which is more prevalent in the second half of the night.
But the potential health risks associated with late bedtimes don't stop at mental health. Studies have also linked poor sleep habits to an increased risk of heart disease and cognitive decline. Plus, recent research has shown that night owls may be up to 19% more likely to develop type 2 diabetes compared with early birds.
While an ideal bedtime may vary from person to person, this new study highlights the potential mental health risks associated with consistently burning the midnight oil. If you find yourself regularly staying up past 1 a.m., consider gradually shifting your bedtime earlier to support your overall well-being.
To learn more about this new insight into the link between sleep and mental health, jump to “How going to bed past midnight could affect your mental health.” (Medical News Today)
Republicans Look For New Ways to Limit Reproductive Health
Conservative policymakers influential with former president Donald Trump are discussing how to use a little-known labor law to impose sweeping restrictions on private-employer-covered abortions, according to a public statement and two people with direct knowledge of labor policy discussions among Trump advisers.(Washington Post)
The proposal to restrict employer-sponsored abortion access would be implemented via the Labor Department, through the law that regulates employer-sponsored private health insurance for Americans, known as the Employee Retirement Income Security Act of 1974, or ERISA. For the millions of people with private-employer-sponsored health care, ERISA allows employers to enact uniform health-care plans across the states where their employees reside.
The Heritage Foundation (Taliban at heart, IMHO), which has been heavily involved in policy proposals for a Trump second term, has recommended that the Labor Department and Congress “should clarify” that federal labor regulations for employer-sponsored health-care plans “should not be allowed to trump states’ ability to protect innocent human life in the womb.”
A separate proposal being considered by Trump labor advisers would rescind a new federal rule that takes effect this month requiring most U.S. employers to offer “reasonable accommodations” for their workers related to pregnancy and childbirth, including time off for abortions, according to one of the people with direct knowledge of labor policy discussions among Trump advisers.
Online/Mail Order Abortion Care - Safe and Effective
Published June 7, 2024 in the Journal of the American Medical Association Online.
About 98% of people who received mifepristone and misoprostol through a mail-order pharmacy experienced complete abortions, according to new data reported in JAMA Internal Medicine. Only 0.6% experienced serious adverse events that resulted in hospitalization, which is similar to the complication rate associated with in-person dispensing of abortion medications. None of the serious adverse events were attributed to mail-order dispensing.
Most participants received their medications within 3 days of being prescribed them, and more than 90% said they would use a mail-order pharmacy for abortion care again. The results were based on a prospective cohort study involving more than 500 US participants aged 15 years or older from 7 states who had been pregnant for 9 weeks or less.
“Mail-order pharmacy dispensing could offer convenience and timely access to abortion medicines for patients who live far from certified brick-and-mortar pharmacies,” the researchers wrote, adding that their findings also support the US Food and Drug Administration’s 2021 decision to remove the requirement that mifepristone only be dispensed in-person.
Meanwhile the Supreme Court is thinking about whether mifepristone should be legal and how they might remove the FDAs authority. Decision expected this month.
ACTION
Congress will have to take action to make abortion legal nation wide to fix these kinds of abortion discrimination laws and rules. We need our representatives shouting lot and long in Congress to move this forward. Pass the Women’s Health Protection Act to restore the right to reproductive freedom nationwide. Our Member of Congress and Senators contact info is here, https://www.usa.gov/elected-officials
Or use RESISTBOT to send this message by texting SIGN PDDVBC to 50409.
“I am your constituent and I just found out that those planning for another Trump presidency are planning to alter labor laws, like ERISA, to prevent private workplace health insurance from covering abortions, if the person lives in a state where it is illegal. PLEASE DO ALL YOU CAN STOP THIS. Pass the Women’s Health Protection Act NOW to restore the right to abortion care nationwide. Thank you.”
Resources
Find My Elected Officials
Contact State and Federal Representatives - phone and email
Healthcare Advocacy (Us) Website
Our Newsletter resources including reproductive healthcare - Healthcare Advocacy Reading List
Important Healthcare Resources
League of Women Voters Healthcare Reform Toolkit
Organizations to Contact
National Nurses United Medicare4All
Physicians for a National Health Program
One Payer States
Healthcare Now
Reproductive Health
NARAL - Pro Choice America
Charley. chatbot abortion resource - make sure to use a secure incognito browser if you live in a state that has banned abortion
Planned Parenthood
Miscarriage and Abortion Hotline has references about where to procure abortion medications. They also assist women in the process of self managed abortion or miscarriage by phone or text and will respond in an hour. Details and hours of operation at their website.
United State of Women Reproductive health page (bottom of the page) has important resources such as medical support, access to Telehealth, prescriptions by mail, and legal support references.
Practice careful communications - The Digital Defense Fund has a number of tips to keep texts, calls, and internet use private. Here is their site.
If you need financial help with an abortion try abortionfunds.org
Claims Denials and Appeals & What to Do
Appeal a Healthcare Decision
Appeal/Negotiate a Hospital Bill
Disinformation Management
Cybersecurity Infrastructure Security Agency
Save Democracy
Chop Wood, Carry Water by Jessica Cravens
RESISTBOT
Link to the RESISTBOT site to learn more
Link to Chop Wood, Carry Water RESISTBOT write up
Learn About Healthcare Policy
The Kaiser Family Foundation has put together an online course about healthcare policy. It is called Health Policy 101. It is free and here is the link to their course page. I will keep this note here for a few days.
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